Rotary photogravure printing press



Sept. 23, 1941. M. w. BRUESHABER 2,256,515 ROTARY PHOTOGRAVURE PRINTING PRESS Filed May 31, 1940 a. O m

Patented Sept. 23, 1941 2,256,515 I ROTARY PHOTOGRAVURE PRINTING PRESS Martin W. Brueshaber, Chicago, 111., assignor to The Goss Printing Press Company, Chicago, 111.,

a corporation of Illinois Application May 31, 1940, Serial No. 338,013

Claims.

The invention relates to new and useful improvements in rotary'printing presses and more particularly to such improvements in ink fountains of rotary photogravure presses using quick drying inks.

Objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part hereinafter and in part will be obvious herefrom, or may be learned by practice with the invention, the same being realized and attained by ,means of the instrumentalities and combinations pointed out in the appended claims.

The invention consists in the novel parts, constructions, arrangements, combinations and improvements herein shown and described.

The accompanying drawing, referred to herein and constituting a part hereof, illustrates one embodiment of the invention, and together with the description, serves to explain the principles of the invention.

0f the drawing: 1

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary end view of an ink fountain embodying the invention, certain parts being broken away and other parts being shown in diagrammatic form for purposes of clarity; and

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional side view of' an ink fountain embodying the invention,.certain parts being broken away for purposes of clarity.

As mechanical improvements have been made in the structure of printing presses allowing greatly increased press speeds it has been found that smudged and imperfect products were produced if the presses were run at their maximum speed due to the fact that the ink on the freshly printed surfaces was not sufficiently dry before 1 has also been found that substantial amounts of the vapors permeate the atmosphere of the pressroom as a whole and are dangerous to the health of all persons employed therein.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide an-ink fountain for presses using ink having highly volatile solvents which may be completely aerated when the fountain is opened. A further object is to provide such a fountain with means for drawing off the dangerous vapors of the solvents and transmitting them either outside of the-pressroom or to a recovery unit where they may be reclaimed, without the necessity of allowing them to escape into the pressroom when the fountain is opened. A still further object is to provide such means which will aerate the fountain to a considerable degree before it is to be opened, as well as thereafter.

With these objects in view, together with other objects which are later herein set forth, or will be learned from practice with the invention, conduits are introduced through the walls of an ink fountain and means connected with said conduits for forcing air therethrough automatically upon the opening of the fountain. Means are also provided in the conduits for directing the flow of air through all parts of the fountain, housing and over the design cylinder, doctor blade and other parts of the press positioned it was subjected to another printing operation or v was assembled and delivered. Various methods and devices were developed to decrease the drying time of the printinginks in order to allow for such an increase in press speeds,.and one of the most widely used of such methods is the utilization of highly volatile solventsas a vehicle for the ink together with a greater relative closure of the ink fountain to prevent evaporation of the solvent before printing has, been effected. A wide variety of highly volatile solvents are thus used, among which are ethyl acetate, highly volatile ketones, highly volatile petroleum distil lates, toluene and xylene.

A number of these substances are relatively toxic to the human system in any substantial amountsover a long period of time, and all of them are toxic or anaesthetic when high concentrations of the vapors are taken into the lungs. When the ink fountain is to be cleaned or some repair or adjustment is to be made in the cylinder or other mechanism within the fountain it is necessary for the workmen to open the fountain upon the fountain or for directing the flow of air directly through the ink reservoir portion of the fountain where the concentration of vapors is the greatest. It will be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed dethe end walls, 14 and I6 of an ink fountain of the usual design provided with suchpresses. As shown in Fig. 1 the fountain is provided with the screen 18, the bottom 20 which serves as a reservoir for the printing ink, and has the doctor duits 48 and 54. This setting of the valves will be found particularly useful when it is desired to rid the fountain of vapors to a certain extent before the cover plate 24 is opened, at which tensions 26 is the cam 84, on the irregular periphery'of which slides the blade 35 of the switch 38. Lines 48 provide a circuit between the switch.

time switch 45 may be closed to start motor 44 and blower.58to bring about the circulation of air just described.

'It will be' seen that intake conduit 58 may be adapted to draw fresh air either from within the pressroom at a point some distance from the press, or from outside of the building, and that 38 and the main lines 42, and the electric motor 44 is positioned within this circuit. The manually operated switch 48 is provided in the circuit of motor 44 with main lines 42.

As shownin Fig. 2 the conduit 48 is positioned in and extends through the end wall 14 of the fountaimand is connected at its other end to the intake of the centrifugal blowen50'which is 1 driven by the electric motor 44. Thedelivery I end 'of'tlie blower50 is attachedto one end of con-' duit 52 which communicates at its other end with the interior of the fountain, being positioned in and extendinglthroughfend wall i5.- Attached to and opening .into conduit 48 are conduits 54 and 55, the openings being normally closed by butterfly valve 58 rotatively'mounted between the conduits. Conduit 58 is attached to and opens intoconduit 52. Damper valve 52 is pivotally attached on-pin 54 to the wall of conduit 52 adjacent the intersection of that conduit and conduit 58, and is normally positioned to close conduit-.52 to the passage of air from the blower 58 to any point beyond the intersection of conduits 52 and 58. In order to provide'for the regulation of damper-valve 52, arm 55- is attached thereto and is also pivotally' attached by pin 54 to the'wall of conduit 52. Am 55 is linked by member 58 with crank I8 attached to butterfly valve 58, so that as arm 55 is moved.

outlet conduits 54 and 58 may be adapted to expel the vapor laden air either out of the building or into the header customarily provided to receive the exhaust from the driers so that the solvent may be recoveredalong with that from ,the-driers.

v The invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific mechanisms shown and described but departures may be made therefrom -within the scope of the accompanying claims without departing from the principles of the into the left to occupy the position indicated in dotted lines-in Fig. 2, damper valve 52'will .be

moved through a quarter revolution to close conduit tocommunication with conduit 52, and at the same time butterfly valve 58 will be rotated a quarterrevolution to open conduits 54 and to communication with conduit-48 and to close conduit 54 and 55.

'With the construction shown it win be apparent that when it is desired to open the fountain for the purpose of cleaning orto make adjustment or repairs on the cylinder or other mechanism within the fountain the offside cover plate 24 may be pivoted away from the plate cylinder Ill, and.

as this'is done the blade 35 will ride up on the high portion of the cam 84 thus closing switch 88 and 'starting'motor 44 to drive blower 50. With the arm 55in the position indicated by the solid lines in Fig. 2 and butterfly valve 58 and damper valve 52 in the positions there-indicated,

' desired to direct the. current of air directly through the lowerportion of the ink fountain across the ink reservoir, arm 55 may be moved to the left so positioning the valves 58 and 52 that air will be drawn in through conduit 55,

impelled through the complete length of conduit 48; between the openings to conduits vention and without sacrificing its chief advantages.

What I claim is:

:1. In an ink fountain for use with highly volatile openable closure means for effectively closing the ink fountain, air ducts leading to and from the closed ink fountain, air circulating means connected with said ducts, and means for starting said circulating means when the closure means are opened.

2. In an ink fountain for use with highly volatile inks, housing means for eflectively enclosing the ink fountain, air ducts leading to and from the ink fountain housing, air circulating means connected with said ducts having an air inlet and an air outlet and a plurality of valve means foralternatively connecting the air circulating means with the inlet and atmosphere and with the outlet and atmosphere. whereby air may be supplied :to or removed from the fountain.

' nationof a printing cylinder,- an ink fountain to supply ink to said cylinder, closure means co-,

operating with said cylinder and fountain to reduce evaporation of ink from said fountain, a

ink fountain.

52, through the fountain, and out through con- :connecting the blower to said fountain through one or the other of said ducts-to remove air from the fountain or to supply air thereto.

5. In a rotary photogravure press, the combination of a printing cylinder, an ink fountain to supply ink'to said cylinder, openable closure U means cooperating with said cylinder and fountain to reduce evaporation of ink from said fountain and means controlled by the opening of the closure means for circulating air through the mm W. naonsmna. 

